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InterGalactic Banking Clan
The InterGalactic Banking Clan was one of the Republic's most powerful and influential commerce guilds. It was a union of Muunilinst's ruling Council of Banking Clans and several other banking powers. Its name likely referred to its extragalactic influence—it was known that the Banking Clan controlled assets as far as halfway between the galaxy and its nearest satellite galaxy. The Tonith family was one of the more powerful clans that oversaw the IBC. The Iotran Guard served as a military division of the Clan. Additionally, the Order of the Sith Lords was heavily involved with the Banking Clan since at least Darth Tenebrous's time, secretly manipulating the organization. During the Clone Wars, Chairman San Hill was allied to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, but the Banking Clan itself remained officially neutral. However, the IGBC fought against the Republic during the Battle of Muunilinst, at an early stage of the war. After a scandal involving new IGBC leader Rush Clovis, the entire organization was placed under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, effectively nationalizing the banks. ''History 'Origin' The founding of the IGBC dated back to the creation of the Galactic Republic where it dictated the flow of wealth between the Core Worlds and the Outer Rim Territories. It was the Banking Clan that funded governments, supported settlements and bankrolled countless commerce guilds, trade corporations and shipping cartels. During the time of the Cold War, a proxy conflict between the reconstituted Sith Empire and Galactic Republic, a group of thieves planned a heist on a Banking Clan vault. The IGBC was already a powerful institution by 1000 BBY, and was known for being far more honest in transactions than Core-based banks such as on Sestria.source? At some point, the Banking Clan established Aargau as one of its key worlds that rested in the Core Worlds boundaries. During the New Sith Wars era, the Sith Lord Qordis embezzled funds from the Brotherhood of Darkness in order to pay for his avarice and kept them in an anonymous account used by the InterGalactic Banking Clan where he stored these funds. The IGBC was an important part of the Sith's Grand Plan; Caar Damask, a Force-sensitive Banking Clan official who rose to become Chairman, owed his ascension through the ranks to the covert patronage of the Bith Sith Lord Darth Tenebrous. In exchange, Damask allowed Tenebrous to influence the conception of his son, Hego Damask, and subsequently take him as his Sith apprentice, Darth Plagueis. Plagueis would later use the Clan to finance much of the Plan, including the creation of the secret Army on Kamino, weapons manufacturers for both sides and to ensure the eventual secession movement could maintain an alternative economy. Damask also tutored his friend's son San Hill in preparation for his accession to the Chairmanship of the Clan. At some point, a vast region of the Tingel Arm became an economic playground divided between the IBC and the Corporate Alliance. It was known to have signed lucrative money-lending programs to large economic bodies such as the Trade Federation and the Techno Union. 'Separatist Crisis' During the years of the Separatist Crisis, the IBC data-server spread Separatist propaganda when clients accessed the datacom-net where messages of secession and Senate reform were stated with the signature of Count Dooku. This led to MerenData sending skilled slicers to examine the server and purge the system. The Senate Bureau of Intelligence dismissed the propaganda as a hoax whilst the Banking Clan assured investors that their systems were secure. In 22 BBY, the IGBC experienced its 18th straight quarter with increasing profits. It was creating new currencies at a rate of twenty per day, with the InterGalactic Currency Exchange System managing the currency. Vice-Chair of Communications Lo Vapeet even went as far to offer the next 500 registrants who were approved currencies a deluxe six-slot therma-slice. This plan helped the IGBC with their new partners in finance for the upcoming Clone Wars. In this time, Senator Aks Moe of Malastare intended to meet with representatives of the IBC in order to discuss possible funding options for a proposed Republic Military initiative. However, his speeder's power plant overloaded and exploded which killed the Gran. The Banking Clan's representatives had not announced the cost of damages nor the accumulated interest caused by the accident.9 Allegations later came of the IBC arming the Separatists after a bulk freighter destined for Praesitlyn was detained by Eriadu Customs that contained 144 Hailfire droids. Banking Clan spokesbeings denied any involvement or knowledge of the intercepted shipment and claimed that the droids were stolen equipment. At an unknown point during the Separatist Crisis, Chancellor Palpatine secretly opened several accounts in which he secretly subverted whole-planetary funds to be used at a later point, tax-free and account-free, so that several corporations affiliated with the IGBC (including Yarrow Industries) could profit. In exchange of that, the IGBC supported the Chancellor in the Galactic Senate in a moment when the not-yet-Emperor still needed that support. To carry out this project, Palpatine secretly expended billions of credits from several planets. The whole plot was discovered by journalist Keets Freely, but he was unable to publish it. The InterGalactic Banking Clan benefited greatly from the economic turbulence that accompanied the Separatist movement. This was because it became the most prominent lending institution that many new independent worlds turned to for economic assistance. 'Clone Wars' During the Clone Wars, the IGBC supplied its security forces including its battle droids to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Among its battle droids were the IG lancer combat droids, which were more advanced than the more common Baktoid B1 battle droids. These droids had actually been developed by Phlut Design Systems, a Muunilinst-based weapons development firm that had taken out a large capital investment loan from the IGBC. PDS found itself unable to repay the IGBC, and, in response, the IGBC seized the company's assets, adding the IG lancer droids to the military forces of the CIS. The IGBC sold the company's further plans for the IG-series to Holowan Mechanicals. The IGBC later commissioned Holowan Mechanicals to manufacture General Grievous's elite IG-100 MagnaGuards. This business entity was noted to have allied itself with the growing Separatist movement in the galaxy. The IBC Chairman, San Hill, personally committed his forces to the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a non-exclusive pact that allowed the Banking Clan to profit from both ends of the war by serving the Republic as well as the Separatists.4 During this time, a Republic inspection team was sent to discover the origins of the Hailfire Droids captured on Geonosis and believing them to be from the IBC Arcology manufacturing plants. The highest ranks of the InterGalactic Banking Clan were involved in eight months of diplomatic dialogue over the Republic posting military forces within the neutral territories of Aargau. This came after the disappearance of the Republic inspection team on the world and saw Republic Diplomat Gaddatha In'Kro attempt to relieve tensions by pointing to IBC ties to the Separatist Alliance. During the Battle of Muunilinst, Banking Clan droids were attacked by Republic forces. Durge would later lead the IGBC's new IG lancer droids. Durge was defeated, however, and San Hill and his advisors were captured. San Hill would later be given the opportunity to escape Republic captivity. In the Galactic Senate, the IGBC's interests were represented by Senator Rush Clovis, a human from the planet Scipio, though his dealings with Lott Dod and their plot to construct droid factories for the Separatist Droid Army were exposed. Despite this the Clan was tolerated by the Republic throughout the war. It retained representation in the Senate as the Clan was too important to the Republic economy to be persecuted, and like the Trade Federation it continued to argue that it was merely conducting business with both sides in a neutral manner. The Galactic Senate passed legislation to de-regulate the Banking Clan in order to open up new lines of credit to fund an expansion of the military. At some point after the Battle of Muunilinst, the IGBC headquarters were moved to Scipio, though the banks remained under the authority of the Muun government. Rush Clovis and Padmé Amidala uncovered evidence of corruption within the Clan, which forced the Republic and the Separatists to conduct a temporary truce so as to appoint new leadership. Rush Clovis was chosen as the new head of the IGBC. However, Count Dooku, who secretly endorsed Clovis' ascension, blackmailed him into levying debts against the Republic, leading to the GAR to evict the droid army from Scipio. In the aftermath of Clovis's death during the battle, the banks were placed under the control of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Unbeknownst to everyone, this was all a Sith plot for Palpatine's alter-ego, Darth Sidious, to gain more political power for his eventual galactic takeover. It continued to back and profiteer both sides during the war. The IGBC also funded Grievous's reconstruction in exchange for his services as a collections agent. The same technology would later be used to save the life of Darth Vader. Trivia'' Category:Confederacy of Independent Systems Category:Clone Wars Era